another newb question RE SNOW USE

[DHart]

I have a 2004 Yukon XL Denali with AWS and Stabilitrak. We only get a few snow days per year where I live, but i thought I'd buy a set of snow cables just to be safe. Now I find out that GM says NO CHAINS on this vehicle. It sucks to hear that using these cables can potentially damage the major drivetrain components.

Is gentle, light use of the cables when in snow likely to cause damage? Should I see if i can return these as-yet unused cables?

Tires are Goodyear Wrangler HP 265-70-17 M&S which I presume are decent in snow on their own.

I sure do love this Denali... there's nothing like a GM full size SUV! But I'm bummed it can't be used with chains... I guess the best way to go is with studded tires in the winter time... or would that mess with the AWD system too?

 

[jetcruiser]

snow go

guys, the torque split on the gm awd's is 60/40 with 60 to the rear. the real question comes to the tires. the a/s tires on mine aren't very good in the snow, but adequate. I haven't seen many 'nalis with AT or mud tires.

The clearance in the front wheel wells is tight. no lawyer is gonna say put a chain in there. I've used small cables, think they are called 'z' cables on mine with no problem.

 

[DHart]

jetcruiser... would you say there is enough clearance in the rear of a Yukon XL Denali for a set of standard snow cables? (not chains)

I have heard elsewhere that the ABS lines and components on these GM's are highly susceptible to damage from chains (not sure about cables) and in the event of a chain damaging the ABS, you would lose braking, therefore GM says no chains. I wish they had been more specific about chains vs. cables, but perhaps there is relatively little difference in terms of potentially damaging the ABS system.

SO I'm wondering, what the problem with chains really is.... messing up the drivetrain or potentially damaging the ABS system, or both? Guess the safe thing to do is pass on chains and cables altogether and go to studs if necessary, otherwise stick with M&S or Blizzaks.

 

[jetcruiser]

chains

the concern for damage in the wheel wells is a valid one. the brake lines, sensors for the autoride and electirc lines for the magnetic (if equipped) shocks are all in there, and the clearance is tight.

the chains I have experience with are 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide links and they are not particuarily tight fitting. I would not use these at all.

The cables I have are about 3/8 inch thick and they fit really tight. PITA to get on, but they don't sling out as bad a the chains do (IMO). I have only used them on the front. I have concern for getting them tangled on the brake line (esp on the dirvers side, as it hangs differently from the passenger side) if the cable broke. also, I can't get two fingers between the back side of the tire and the autoride shock housing.

if you don't have an LSD you will fill the stabilitrack intervening when a rear slips a bit.

 

[DHart]

Thanks for the comments. I don't travel much at all in snow, so my needs for chains are really very minimal and I sure don't want to cause problems by putting them on my Yukon. Cables would probably be ok, but I've concluded that I probably don't need to venture into that.

I've decided to return the cable chains and just stick with my Goodyear Wrangler HP "M&S" 265-70-17 tires for now. I've got 42k on these factory original tires now and from the looks of them, another 20k of life probably... which will take me another year and a half or so to cover. Then I think I will consider the tire offerings at that time and may go with a set of Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires, as they have gotten such rave reviews.

 

[jetcruiser]

tires

keep in mind that if you go with an aggresive tread you will kill any refinement the denali was supposed to have. i had an '00 yukon slt that i put a/t tires on and it rode ok, handled less, and was noisy as hell from the tires. when i replaced the tires on the 'nali i went with coopers in the same size as stock and have been happy so far. 32k miles on them now.

 

[DHart]

keep in mind that if you go with an aggresive tread you will kill any refinement the denali was supposed to have. i had an '00 yukon slt that i put a/t tires on and it rode ok, handled less, and was noisy as hell from the tires. when i replaced the tires on the 'nali i went with coopers in the same size as stock and have been happy so far. 32k miles on them now.

jet... good point! What Coopers did you get?

Perhaps I'll rethink that Bridgestone Dueler A/T idea and consider something like Goodyear Fortera TripleTred, or Cooper?

 

[ncwchockey14]

on the topic of snow, on autoride tahoes, can you leave the 4wd system engaged for long periods of time traveling on the highway (in bad snow conditions) without harming the drive system of the vehicle?

i know on my jeep, you cannot leave the vehicle in 4wd for long periods of time without potentially harming the drive system.

thanks, it has started snowing a **** ton and i got worried when i didnt know the answer to this question.

 

[jetcruiser]

DHart: Discovery HT 265/70/17 and they have been great. quiet, stay balanced and wearing good.

ncwchockey14: snow, dirt road, sand yep. leave in gear and go. probably wouldn't do it on rain unless it was real heavy with plenty on the road. don't do it on dry pavement.

 

[Stargazer]

I've been to the mountains during heavier snow periods in a AWD subaru and an AWD audi.... yes, AWD is great, but there was still some sliding...
I've been told that with AWD, you are allowed to travel in heavy conditions, but ultimately, you need snow tires or chains in heavier conditions...

Does this mean that in a heavy storm, that I'm screwed??? I would be very dissappointed, because one of the reasons that I got the truck was for our frequent trips to Mammoth...

I owned a Subaru STI with the driver controlled center differential and I have to say that I love the way it handled in the snow--especially in very slippery situations. Doing a controlled drift around a corner was easy to maintain with the throttle. It's only problem was low clearance and in the really deep stuff, the front lip became a snow plow.

I wasn't sure how my Denali would handle the snow until this past week when we were hit with record-breaking cold temps and several snow storms including a big doozy the last two days. Yesterday we received over a foot and half of snow on the mountain that I live on and the police were telling people to stay off the roads even down in the flats. There were reports of all sorts of vehicles spun-out into ditches and jack-knifed 18-wheelers on the highways. Several deaths due to road conditions were reported.

First thing: I have no tolerance for people who do not use winter tires for driving in the winter. They are the ones who cause all the traffic problems and creating danger on the roads. If you plan on going to the mountains into snow country for ski trips the least that you can do is to buy some good winter tires and invest in your own safety even if you don't care about the safety of the people around you.

I bought 17" winter tires and rims for my Denali and it handles awesome in the snow. Because of its weight, it seems even more sure-footed than my STI. In half a foot of snow it never lost traction unless I did it on purpose. When the snow got over a foot deep going up the mountain, I simply turned off the stability control and powered through corners using the throttle to bring the back-end around and was easily on my way up. On the flats, even the foot of snow was no problem.

Going down the mountain with compact snow and ice was not a problem either because I simply put the transmission in manual mode and M1 was slow enough to be able to coast downhill very slowly. Shifting the gears allowed me total control of my speed with minimal brake use.

I too was worried about using chains when I first bought the Denali. I am no longer worried. The XL is obviously not as nimble as my STI and I need a lot more space to do the really fun maneuvers, but now I have total confidence in the Denali to tackle even the harshest conditions and get me where I need to go. In fact, because conditions were so bad yesterday, I ended up being shuttle service up and down our mountain--not that I'm complaining! Roads were abandoned and I was able to have some fun .

BTW, I just added this picture I took of my backyard this morning. The snow sitting on top of the fence was just from last night. The snow on the slide was from yesterday. (My kids had played on the slide and knocked off the old snow the day before.) We've got two sunny days before the next forecast storm arrives on Christmas Eve.

 

[Stargazer]

One last thing, the best setting I find for the Denali in really deep, slippery snow is to be in Tow/Haul mode with Stability control turned off. It gives the most driver control with the throttle and it does not cut engine power.